MAN, I WISH I could come...that is not a time I can make it though. I sure would LOVE to! I remember some of the stuff Jeff told us about before. They have some GREAT stuff! I am so jealous, if you can go I would suggest it! WOW! HEY JEFF!!! (WAVING) :) Fran

Thanks everyone, I'm sure these lists are going to be of help to others as well as myself. It's really nice seeing what everybody is growing, different zones different plants, some I can't grow in the ground but some I can grow in a container for a punch of color then put in the greenhouse for winter protection. From all the contributions Nell has done a survey of what the top 12 plants for a cottage garden are, the ones with the most votes seem to be the favorites, this will be a big help to anyone starting out with a blank slate. It also helps those of us that are still looking for good choices to add to our cottage gardens. If anyone thinks of more to add to this list feel free to do so. I have got some of the plants mentioned above, I'll be selecting more from these lists to add to my garden. I'll post a picture if and when it looks half decent. Annette

Caveat emptor!!! Ordered from "Slick" Glick once. received nothing! He never contacted me to relate any information. When I called "Slick" to inquire about my order, he casually told me that he had filled a previous order and had no more at the agreedupon price, but if I wanted some plants that were "slightly" larger, at twice the price, he could send them. I will allow your imagination to determine what I told him he could do with his overpriced plants. My advice would be: Find a more reputable seller, pay a little more for much nicer plants. You can often find Helleborus at Box stores, one gallon size plants, in bloom, for the price he is asking for tiny, bare root ones. Rb

The "overpriced" FONA plant sale at the National Arboretum is a fundraising event for the arboretum (which is woefully underfunded), so you shouldn't got there expecting bargains. As far as variety goes, if you are a FONA member you get to go a day early on the preview day, when it is much less crowded and the selection is much better. I imagine a lot of the really interesting and unusual plants get snapped up right away. That said, I've always managed to find a few interesting plants, even on Saturday.